Connecting East and West Through Corporate,Entrepreneurial and Cultural Experience

By Qi Li

At the beginning of 2022， a publication endorsed by the Chinese government considers Margaret Chen to be one of the hundred people from China with the most impact abroad. In response， El País， the leading Spanish mainstream newspaper， devoted two full pages to her， entitled “Margaret Chen， the Most Influential Chinese Citizen in Spain”.

Not only is her integration into mainstream Spanish society is considered a true benchmark， but she also has her own independent and high professional standing. She is the founder of China Club Spain， which is an extremely prestigious Chinese professional association.

Margaret Chen hails from Shanghai and used her self–confidence and determined spirit， as well as her belief in knowledge and personal engagement， to change her own destiny. Even from a very young age， she was self-disciplined and never failed to hold herself to high standards. She became a faculty member of the well-known Business School（what is today known as Antai）， and she was later awarded a scholarship to study in the United States， an opportunity which allowed her to pursue her desire to become a high-tech developer. She then worked for ACS Software which developed the worlds first ecommerce platform for the US automotive manufacturer sector. This platform was later widely used by large scale retailers and during governmental procurement processes.

After 7 years in the United States， Margaret took a leap of faith and moved to Spain. Due to her expertise in supply–chain management and ecommerce， she was offered a senior consultant position in the then No. 1 Spanish listed multinational company Telefonica. It was the Telefonicas heyday， when it ranked third in the global telecoms industry and 39th in the worlds fortune 500 and had 160 subsidiaries. During her time at Telefonica， she became unanimously recognized and quickly identified and promoted through the most complicated corporate hierarchy. She held various management positions at different business units： from marketing to sales， content to service， new technology strategy to general director for Asia， until to be Director of the Chairman & CEO Office of a 270，000 employees in 25 countries telecom giant.

Of her tenure as Asia Director at Telefonica， she said，“my responsibilities encompassed investment strategy， government relations， external liaison， business partnership development and local division operations. Telefonica invested over USD 3.5 billion with a strategic win–win partnership in China.” She was also recognized as one of the “Most Influential Women in the Telecommunications Industry” by the official magazine of Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. During her designation in Beijing， she was appointed as an alternate board member of China Netcom， as well as a board member of China Netcoms National Broadband Laboratory.

After her career in China and her ventures in Spain， she chose to start a new chapter in her life by setting up her own company Optimus Horizon. This company utilized her foundation of knowledge and extensive high level business network to promote economic and trade cooperation between China and Spain. With her years of professional influence and open-mindedness， she has gained a high level of professional standing and a respected voice in Spain and in certain other European and Latin America countries. At this moment in time， the economic and trade relations between China and Spain require an international figure like Margaret Chen who is truly conversant with the culture and mentality of both the Chinese and western business worlds.

When it comes to work， she currently devotes most of her time to providing strategic consulting for large corporations. She explained： “China is a major exporter of green energy equipment， and Europe is the No.1 overseas market for Chinese Photovotaic module exports.” She also stressed that Chinas sustainable development power needs to be more objectively perceived by the world： “China is currently investing in clean energy almost three times more than the US， accounting for more than 50% of global total new investment. China has advocated for investment development in the green and renewable energy industries and international infrastructure projects all around the world， and its achievements are clear for all to see.”

Margaret further expressed her opinion that for Spain， Chinas status as a trade partner still needs to be constantly disseminated and raised. At present， China is Spains No.1 economic and trade partner outside of the European Union， while Spain is the No.5 trade partner for China among EU countries. However， there is still room to improve the relationship between Spain and China economically. She also stated that it is worth noting that all countries in Latin America share a similar cultural background and most of them are Spanish speaking countries， and as such， Spain is in a good position to create a bridge between China and Latin America.

Margaret Chen is the first and only Asian technology expert to be a member of the COTEC Foundations “100 Experts in Innovation and Development”， a national science and technology foundation headed by King Felipe of Spain and founded by the top 100 companies in Spain， which is dedicated to promoting Spains economic and social development through hightech innovation and research. In 2014， Margaret Chen co-founded the “China–Spain InnoVenture” （CSIV）， an ecosystem which connects innovative projects with market and investment funds. She says： “Chinas huge market provides opportunities for European companies. Accordingly， some of Chinas unicorns need to expand internationally， and our CSIV platform focuses on technology transfer and successful international expansion for startups.”

Margaret acts as a vehicle to communicate the true state of Chinas development to the rest of world. Not long ago， she joint as the Vice–President in the EU–China Trust， an initiative to promote mutual trust and cooperation between EU and China. She stated：“This is not only a gateway for improving and strengthening China–EU relations， promoting green energy， and lowering carbon emissions， but also cements Chinas position as the worlds factory， allowing it to further contribute to sustainable development.”